


From the Ashes

by SailorChibi



Series: wanda's curse verse [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Communication, Gen, Ignores Civil War, Minor Original Character, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Not Wanda Friendly, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological issues, Rhodey Needs a Hug, SO MUCH THERAPY, Talk of Mind Control, The New Avengers - Freeform, Therapy, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, author is not a psychologist, author is not a therapist, dealing with bad things, handwavy psychology, ignores infinity war, imagine that people actually talking about their feelings, never fear i will take care of my boys, talk of brainwashing, therapy for everyone, though I'm trying to be realistic, tony stark is a good person, very wanda critical, what a gross oversight, why are there no therapists in the MCU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-06-10 01:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15280515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: The Avengers have imploded, but the world still needs to be protected. In between trying to pull a new team together and dealing with the ramifications that have arisen from the actions of the old one, Tony finds that some people are willing to stand with and by him after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, another entry for one of my most popular series. This one deals exclusively with Tony and will, I hope, answer some pressing questions.
> 
> I am not a therapist, nor have I ever been to more than a couple of therapy sessions. I've tagged this as handwavy psychology and stand by it: please no unkind comments about how unrealistic it may be.

“So Tony, what would you like to talk about?”

The automatic answer of ‘nothing’ rose to Tony’s lips; he swallowed it back with difficulty, meeting the eyes of Dr. Sasha Hearn. She was an older woman in her late fifties, with dark hair and skin. Normally Tony had no problem with eye contact, but right now it was just too much. He dropped his gaze, staring instead at the gold medallion she was wearing around her neck. The flat gold disc was inscribed with something, probably a name.

“I don’t know,” he settled on finally. Psychiatrists made him uncomfortable. They always had. A big part of him didn’t want to be here. This was Coulson’s idea; he’d insisted that all of the remaining Avengers, as well as any new potential members, undergo at least half a dozen therapy sessions. Sasha Hearn had retired from SHIELD to open a private practice. She’d already been through every background test imaginable, and not even FRIDAY had been able to dig anything untoward up. She was, as far as they could tell, clean.

Hearn smiled at him. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about what’s been happening over the past week or so?”

She’d been briefed on the whole mess, so Tony didn’t bother with explaining names. He launched straight into it. “Well, Bruce is still here. I’m surprised, to be honest. I still haven’t been able to talk to him about what happened. Every time I start to talk, he hulks out. I’m getting tired of trying.” He paused, a little surprised by that, before continuing. 

“I haven’t talked to Bucky in over two weeks. He runs away whenever he sees me and I can’t blame him. I’d be pissed too. He also runs away when Rhodey comes around, but I think that’s more out of self preservation. Rhodey’s pretty angry. He feels guilty. He’s the one who should be talking to you, not me.”

“I’ve been asked to set up sessions with everyone in the tower,” Hearn told him. “But right now, this time is devoted to you. What else?”

Tony thought about it. “Steve keeps trying to call me. I haven’t answered the phone.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t – I don’t want to talk to him,” Tony said quietly, staring down at his hands now. Every time he thought about Steve Rogers, he was torn between strong feelings of nausea and rage. It had gotten to the point where he’d asked FRIDAY to block Steve’s calls, but he knew they were still happening. Steve was too stubborn to give up that easily.

“You don’t have to talk to him,” Hearn said. 

“What?” Tony said, surprised.

“You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to. You don’t owe him anything.”

“I…” Tony trailed off, blinking. “I thought you’d tell me I had to forgive him for my own health or some bullshit like that.” He’d been told that enough times in his life that it was engrained in him by now.

“In our line of work, that’s not always possible,” Hearn replied. “In an ideal world, no one person could hurt us badly enough that we could never forgive or forget. Unfortunately, as I’m sure you’ve realized, we don’t live in an ideal world. Going into this with the ultimate goal of being able to forgive is unrealistic. You may never get to that point. But, for _your_ sake, I would like to help you get to a point where you can live with what happened, and where it won’t consume your waking thoughts.”

He looked at her for a long moment, absorbing what she’d said. “Steve wasn’t the only one,” he said.

Hearn nodded. “I know. We have time. I’m willing to be here as long as someone needs me, whether that means weeks, months, or years.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. “Right now, I’m here to help _you_. Since you said you don’t know where to begin, would you like to start at the beginning?”

The beginning. Howard. Obie. Afghanistan. Tony licked his suddenly dry lips. In the span of everything that happened, Stane’s betrayal should’ve seemed miniscule. It wasn’t. It was still hard to talk about, but, he realized, it might be a little easier than talking about Wanda or Steve or Bucky or Rhodey or Bruce in detail. And, even though Hearn had been briefed, it would probably help if she had some of the more personal details to build on.

“My father pretty much built Stark Industries from the ground up. He was a prolific weapons engineer. I’m sure you know about his involvement in the supersoldier serum,” Tony said. At Hearn’s nod, he continued, “People tell me that he changed after Captain America crashed in the ice. He became obsessed. He spent large parts of my childhood scouring the Arctic trying to find the crash site. Every time he came back, it was like he got worse.”

“Worse how?” Hearn asked.

These were things Tony had never said out loud. He didn’t know if he was comfortable enough with Hearn to really discuss it. But at the same time, Coulson had made it clear that the therapy wasn’t really optional – and Tony was sick of the nightmares, the panic attacks, the constant sense that the world was falling apart, the feeling that the people in his life were just _waiting_ to betray him. It was like walking through a bog, with mud and swamp water dragging him down, when everyone else was up on the raised platforms.

“He compared me a lot to Captain America,” Tony said finally. “I was never good enough.”

“That sounds hard,” Hearn observed.

Tony shrugged. “It was, I guess. Whatever standard he set for me, I never reached it. I figured out that I was never going to make him happy when I was six.” He fell quiet for a long moment, reflecting on that year. His parents had sent him to boarding school for the first time. He could remember coming home and feeling crushed when he was told Howard was on an excursion to the Arctic – and then, when Howard had finally come home, being met with scorn and derision.

“Did you stop trying to make him happy?” 

It was an apt question. Tony smiled bitterly. “No. Even after the old man died, I was still trying to make him happy.” He shook his head. “Obie… Obadiah Stane was Howard’s business partner. I thought he knew best when it came to what my father would want, and I thought I was finally succeeding. Turns out I wasn’t great at making him happy either. He tried to have me killed.”

Hearn made a note on her paper, then looked up. “Putting aside that last part for a moment, do you think you’ve ever stopped trying to make people happy?”

“People?” Tony said. “You mean Captain America. You think I was trying to make Steve happy because… what? To make Howard finally approve of me?” He tried to make it sound ridiculous, but as he spoke the words he realized there was an unsettling grain of truth to them.

“I asked what you think,” Hearn said.

“I don’t know. I guess. Maybe.” Tony ground his teeth together. The thought that he’d spent the last few years trying to get Steve’s approval was bad enough, but the realization that it could be because of Howard? He suddenly felt like he needed a hot shower.

And to make matters worse, it wasn’t like he’d succeeded. If anything, he suspected he might have failed worse with Steve than he had with Howard. Maybe Steve hadn’t been as openly callous as Howard, but Howard had also never lied to him like Steve had. It was hard, in that moment of time, to figure out which was worse. But in the end, Tony also knew it didn’t matter. He would never have Howard Stark’s or Steve Rogers’s respect _or_ approval. That was cold fact by now; Howard was dead, and Steve had made it amply clear that the only thing he thought Tony Stark was good for was his money and resources.

He swallowed hard against an unexpected surge of nausea, tasting bile. Other people might see it differently, but Tony had tried – with both Steve and the Avengers, he’d tried harder than he ever had at anything else. Now he could see that it hadn’t mattered from day one. Steve probably didn’t realize it, but from day one he’d held everyone, particularly Tony, up to the standard of Bucky Barnes and, to a lesser extent, the Howling Commandos. 

Once again, Tony had been set up to fail.

“Tony,” Hearn said, her voice low but stern, and he looked at her automatically. “I have a task for you. Over the next forty-eight hours, I’d like you to keep track of when you start feeling negative emotions. That includes anger, guilt, sadness, panic, or anything else that you construe as negative. I’d like you to make note of what you’re feeling and what you were doing at the time, as well as make an observation about what you think brought those feelings on. Do you think you could do that for me?”

It took a moment for him to understand what she meant. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”

“I’d like this to be something that _you_ do, mind,” Hearn stressed. “Not based on someone else’s observations.”

There went having FRIDAY do it for him. Tony tried not to sigh too loudly. “Sure.”

“Good. I’d also like you to write down any nightmares you have.”

“What makes you think I have nightmares?” Tony said.

“The fact that you just asked me that proves that you do,” Hearn said. She stood. For the first time Tony realized how petite she was; she was probably no more than 5’1 or 5’2. The idea that he could easily overpower her if he needed to was at once shameful and comforting. Based on the file Coulson had given him, she had basic self-defense training but that was it. Nothing like, say, Natasha Romanov.

She moved over to a small chest of drawers and removed a notebook, which she held out to him. When Tony made no move to take it, she set it down on the table beside him. Only then did he pick it up. The cover was soft and supple, made of expensive materials, and the pages were crisp. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used a notebook. Probably back in elementary school. 

“Can’t I just use a computer?” he asked.

“You could, but I would like it if you used the notebook first. It might help you connect more with what you’re writing.” She took her seat again and smiled. “Next time, I’d also like to talk more about your goals and what you think therapy can do for you.”

“I’m here because I have to be,” Tony said, though he was no longer certain that was the case. He’d always disregarded therapy, antsy and uncomfortable at the idea of letting someone hear so many personal things. But Hearn hadn’t pressed for details. She’d backed off when Tony said he didn’t want to talk. And she’d been the first, unbiased person who hadn’t made him feel like he had to talk to Steve again. He wasn’t sure what to do with that yet.

“Well, maybe you can get some use out of our time together anyway,” she said. “It was very nice to meet you, Tony.”

With a start, Tony realized a whole hour had gone by. He stood, clutching the notebook against his chest, and nodded at her. Then he scuttled out of the room, head bowed. No one was in the hallway when he walked out, which he was grateful for. Rhodey, Bucky and Coulson would all know about the therapy, of course, but he still didn’t want to be seen exiting her office.

That hadn’t been terrible. Certainly not as bad as he’d thought. He’d been half-expecting someone just like Natasha: cold and manipulative and interested in learning Tony’s secrets for her own use. That wasn’t to say he could let his guard down just yet, of course. Tony had been betrayed one time too many to let one conversation dictate his opinion of someone he was expected to work closely with. But it had been, if nothing more, a break from everything else.

Speaking of everything else – he sighed as he pulled his phone out and saw the long list of notifications that had popped up while he was in his session. Hearn had asked him to silence his phone and he had, but he was paying for it now. He tucked the notebook under his arm and began to scroll down. Whoever had said that there was no rest for the wicked had no idea how right they were.


	2. Chapter 2

“How did your first couple of therapy sessions go?”

Tony turned his head slightly to look up at Coulson. “Okay, I guess. Any chance you’re going to remove that stipulation anytime soon?”

Coulson smiled. “Nope. Not a chance.” He pulled out a chair and took a seat across from Tony. In the late evening light, he looked as tired and stressed out as Tony felt. They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, Tony going over some papers that Pepper needed him to sign and Coulson preoccupied with a tablet, before Tony finished his work and sat back with a sigh.

“Okay. Time for business. What have you come up with?” He looked over at Coulson expectantly. It was hard to say what, or rather who, Coulson was going to offer up for the Avengers line-up, but one thing was pretty clear: they couldn’t get by with just Tony, Rhodey, Bucky and Vision. Rhodey and Bucky weren’t really field-ready, and neither was Tony for that matter. Bruce had made it clear that he was not comfortable with being the Hulk for battles right now, and, after what the Hulk had done under Wanda’s influence, Tony couldn’t blame him.

Nothing had arisen out of the woodwork yet. But, with SHIELD and the Avengers unofficially down for the count, Tony knew that it was only a matter of time before _something_ came up. As much as this was a pain in the ass, he would feel a hell of a lot less stressed once they had some other Avengers to fall back on.

“I have a few options. SHIELD has been keeping tabs on super-powered individuals for some time now,” Coulson said, which was nothing that Tony hadn’t known. “May I?”

“Go ahead,” Tony said. He watched as a few files opened before them, courtesy of FRIDAY, and raised an eyebrow at seeing Hope van Dyne’s name passing across the screen. That would be an interesting conversation considering how much her father hated Tony.

“I think it would be beneficial to recruit as many people as possible. Then we could have a core Avengers team and several back-ups. If something had happened immediately after Ultron, for example, the Avengers wouldn’t have been in any shape to handle it. And don’t say you would have been, because you weren’t,” Coulson added midlly, giving Tony a firm look. “None of us were.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” Tony lied, reaching for the file on Hope. Coulson was right, much as he hated to admit it. Plus, he privately thought that more people on the team also meant that they would have a wider variety of perspectives. Natasha, Clint and Steve had all worked for SHIELD in some capacity, which had been… somewhat limiting. 

“Sure it wasn’t. I also think this is our opportunity to revamp how the team is run,” Coulson continued. “Like maybe an evaluation, both mental and physical, before someone joins the team.” He carefully didn’t look at Tony, who swallowed. Had someone been around to do a mental evaluation on Wanda, maybe this could’ve ended better. 

“And magic?” he asked hoarsely. It wouldn’t be fair to have a firm policy against magic users, though Tony dearly wished they could.

“We’re working on it. I have several consultants working on it, actually, including Dr. Strange. He seems to be aiming towards some kind of wearable protection.” Coulson flicked through a couple of files until he arrived at Strange’s. 

“Are you looking at Strange as a candidate for the team?”

“Yes, but he’s made it clear he’s not interested in being a part of the core team. His work as Sorcerer Supreme takes too much out of him for that. He’s willing to be on-call for the Avengers, though. He’s also said that if we find anyone else who has magic that can’t control it, he may be willing to take on some students in the future.”

Tony nodded thoughtfully. That would be a big help. He didn’t like magic, and he liked it even less now that he had to live with the ramifications of what Wanda had done, but he was smart enough to know that it was going to keep being a problem in the future. And that meant they needed to figure out ways to deal with it. Having Vision and Strange around was a solid beginning. 

“I think we can leave Bruce off the list for right now,” he said. “He’s having some trouble with the Hulk.”

“I know. Dr. Banner made it very clear to me that while he was willing to help, the Hulk was off the table.” Coulson didn’t sound surprised or disappointed by the fact. “I do think we have some other candidates who will be good. I _don’t_ think we should depend on Captain America, Hawkeye, or Black Widow returning to the field anytime soon.”

Trust Coulson to bring up the elephant in the room. Tony said, “I know Natasha took off.”

It was Coulson’s turn to nod. “She’s still off-grid. Hawkeye, of course, is nowhere near ready to be an Avenger again, and I’m glad that Cap benched himself because otherwise I would’ve had to do it for him.”

“What about Wilson?” Tony asked, genuinely curious. He actually didn’t know much about Wilson, other than the fact that guy had been there when Steve and Natasha dumped all of those SHIELD files on the internet and that he’d helped against Ultron. He was Steve’s friend and that meant that Steve had vouched for him, but in light of certain phone conversations that didn’t count for much right now – it was a harsh truth, but who knew what else Steve would be willing to lie about?

“Sam Wilson is in D.C. at the moment. I’ve left him a message but he hasn’t answered yet. If he wanted to remain as an Avenger, he’d be subject to the same evaluation and on-going therapy as everyone else, but that’s up in the air right now. From what I hear, he was very angry when he found out what happened,” Coulson replied.

Angry. Tony could appreciate that. It didn’t even begin to describe that moment of sickening clarity when you figured out that someone else’s fingers had been in your brain. He wouldn’t have blamed Wilson for a second if he decided to never come back to the Avengers. After all, it was because of them that he’d come into contact with Maximoff in the first place.

He sat back and scanned rapidly through the remainder of the files, discarding some immediately and setting others as a priority to follow up on. But really, his heart wasn’t in it. He was thinking about Bucky, and wondering whether or not Bucky would be an Avenger. He’d automatically counted Bucky amongst them, but Bucky had never come right out and said if he wanted that.

So when their meeting was over, and Coulson had a list of people to contact, Tony went looking for his resident super solider. Somehow he wasn’t surprised to find Bucky in the living room, curled up on the couch in a way that should not have been comfortable, watching television. It looked like the show was a comedy of some kind, though Tony wasn’t familiar with it.

Suddenly, Bucky let out a snort. “See, I told you.”

It wasn’t immediately clear who he was speaking to until FRIDAY responded: “You said he would date two of them, not all three of them. I don’t count that as a win.”

“That’s a technicality!”

Bucky was watching television with FRIDAY. Tony stared for a moment in pure surprise. Normally, people were tolerant _at best_ when it came to his A.I.’s, preferring to treat them like advanced computer programs and not the intelligent beings that they were. Even the original Avengers had never been that comfortable with JARVIS, mostly ignoring him unless they needed something. Certainly not comfortable enough to watch a show with him the way that Tony would. Seeing Bucky act this way with FRIDAY caused an incredible sensation of warmth to well up in Tony’s chest, though it was heavily wrought with fresh regret for his cruel comment.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked out loud, taking a few steps into the room. It stung to see the way that Bucky immediately tensed up, and he missed the days where Bucky was more at ease around Tony than anyone else in the world.

“It’s your living room,” Bucky said quietly, fixing on the television. And that – yeah, that wasn’t gonna fly.

“You live here too, last time I looked. I would never want to force my presence on anyone, least of all you,” Tony said. That was a lesson he’d learned pretty early-on. People got tired of being around him pretty fast. For someone like Bucky, who wasn’t that great at making decisions or saying what he wanted, it was even more important to be careful.

A slight frown crossed Bucky’s face, but all he said was, “It’s fine.”

Tony took a seat at the far end of the couch, noticing that Bucky wasn’t wearing his arm again today. The regret in his chest burned hotly. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Finally, Bucky actually looked at him. Tony forced himself to meet those blue eyes.

“I said that I’m sorry for what I said about your arm. I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t mean to make you feel like you couldn’t wear your arm. I mean, it’s your _arm_. You have every right to wear it if you want to.”

It was Bucky’s turn to stare. “What?” he repeated. “Tony, _you_ have every right to not want that arm in your house. It killed your parents. _I’m_ sorry for never thinking about what it might mean to you every time that you saw it. I was rubbing it in your face every time I saw you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Tony said, stunned. 

Bucky just shook his head. “Yes, I do.”

“You really don’t. I’m not angry.”

“Well, I’m not angry either.”

This was not the conversation Tony had expected to have. “Then why are we avoiding each other?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky admitted, and that was one of the things Tony liked the most about him. It was refreshing to be around someone who could freely say ‘I don’t know’ and not be defensive or prickly about it. Tony couldn’t help comparing Bucky’s attitude to Steve, who frequently shut down when faced with something futuristic that he wasn’t sure about. Out of all the qualities Steve had, that attitude could be amongst the most frustrating.

“I think we’re both stupid,” Tony said, pleased when that earned him a shy smile.

“I don’t disagree,” Bucky said. He sort of paused, like maybe he wanted to say something else.

“What?” Tony asked.

“Back when I came here, you said somethin’ about a new arm,” Bucky said hesitantly.

Tony’s heart did something complicated. He had to grab the side of the couch to stop himself from clutching greedily at Bucky. The more he got to know Bucky, the more he’d wanted to build Bucky an arm. Not just because of what the Hydra arm had done, but because it was heavy and cumbersome and made Bucky wince with pain a lot and frankly Tony could build something a thousand times better. He’d been designing schematics for a new arm since the day Bucky turned up at the tower, but he’d never held out much hope Bucky would actually agree.

“Yeah, I did,” Tony said when he thought he could speak normally. “Does that mean… would you let me build you a new arm?” It would be the first thing he’d built for someone since everything with Wanda had come out into the open. He was, momentarily, overcome with fear: what if Bucky responded with the same lack of gratitude and scornful remarks that the other Avengers had while under Wanda’s influence?

But Bucky smiled again, dissolving Tony’s concerns like sugar in water, and said, “I’d really like that. What do you want in return?”

“Arm first,” Tony said. “We’ll work out everything else later. Are you busy, or can you come look at some designs?”

“I can come look at some designs. FRI, can we shelve this for later?”

“Of course,” FRIDAY said, sounding oddly eager. The television turned itself off. “The workshops awaits, Boss.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was three weeks after Tony’s first therapy session when Bruce came to find him. Tony was in the workshop, lost in a modification to the Iron Man armor. He’d been consulting with Strange on some possible ways to block magical effects, and Strange had agreed to act as a guinea pig. Apparently there were some magical ways to do it, but Tony wanted to try the science-y ways first.

The music was so loud he didn’t even notice Bruce at first. It wasn’t until FRIDAY lowered the volume, brightened the lights and called out his name that Tony looked up, blinking owlishly, to see Bruce standing on the other side of the walls. The workshop was in black-out mode right now, which meant that Tony could see out but no one could see in. Unlike some people that Tony could name, Bruce was patiently waiting. He wasn’t tugging at the door or arguing with FRIDAY. 

It was a novel thought that, if Tony said he was busy, Bruce might actually just leave rather than feeling entitled to his time. 

“What does he want, FRI?” Tony asked, intrigued. He and Bruce hadn’t talked much since Bruce came back to the tower. What he’d said to Hearn was true: Tony was incredibly sick of being the only one who ever made any effort. That wasn’t just because of Wanda, but she hadn’t helped. Since she’d come into their lives, he’d come to realize that the other Avengers had depended on Tony to come to them. On the rare occasion they sought him out, he was frequently left feeling guilty about not having done _more_ no matter how much he’d already done. And if he didn’t come to them, there were no words to describe the size of the guilt trip that was laid on him.

“He says he would like to speak with you,” FRIDAY related. “If you’re busy, you can let him know what time you’d like him to come back.”

Interesting. Seemed Bruce was finally growing a backbone. That was a carefully worded sentence, one that Tony himself might have used. It led you to think that Bruce was being flexible, but really it meant that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Tony was impressed in spite of himself. He didn’t even think that, if Tony turned him away, Bruce would do what the others used to do: put his hands on his hips with a Disappointed Look™ like Steve, or try and sneak his way in like Natasha and Clint.

“Okay,” Tony said finally, sitting back. He looked down at himself and realized he was covered in grease and oil and that the smell in the room was definitely coming from him. He lifted an arm and sniffed at his armpit, then tried not to gag. Yeesh, that was bad.

He got up. “Tell him I need twenty minutes to shower. I’ll meet him upstairs in the kitchen.”

FRIDAY must have relayed the message to Bruce, because Bruce nodded and walked away from the wall. Tony watched until the elevator doors had closed behind him, whisking Bruce away. Only then did he strip off his clothes and head for the small shower that Pepper had insisted on installing in one corner of the workshop. It had come in handy more times than Tony wanted to admit.

He showered quickly and pulled on a pair of jeans and another muscle shirt, then took the time to shave and trim his goatee. By the time he headed to the elevator twenty-two minutes later, he actually felt human. FRIDAY took him up to the main floor, which was surprisingly empty aside from Bruce. Tony entered the kitchen and found Bruce sitting at the table, with two mugs of coffee and some donuts.

“Food!” Tony said gleefully, snatching a donut. He’d had breakfast with Bucky that morning, but that was – he glanced at the clock and nearly did a double-take. It was well after midnight. That was far from the first time he’d gotten lost in work, but it had been a while since he’d felt this good afterwards.

“Yes, food. I figured you wouldn’t be willing to talk if I came with a salad in hand,” Bruce said dryly, though he was smiling. 

“If the question is between donuts or salads, there’s no contest,” Tony told him, biting into it. Icing sugar and soft dough gave way to an intense raspberry flavor. Tony hummed in contentment and sank into a chair, demolishing the donut in three more huge bites. Then he grabbed a second and, while chewing, looked at Bruce expectantly.

“I want to hear about what happened between you and the witch. If you’re willing to tell me,” Bruce said. He sat as well, though he made no move to take a donut. 

That was unexpected. Tony swallowed his bite and said, “You sure about that? Last few times we tried to talk, you Hulked out. Or you, you know, fell asleep the time before that.” He wasn’t trying to mean; he was tired enough that telling this story to the Hulk or a sleeping Bruce would be the last straw. 

It had hurt a lot when he’d finished his story about the Mandarin only to find that Bruce had fallen asleep. Bruce seemed to think that Tony had been telling him that story under the guise of wanting a therapy. He wasn’t. Tony’d been talking to him as a friend, sharing something fairly traumatizing – he’d nearly been killed, nearly lost Pepper. If the same thing was going to happen this time, well, he’d rather save his words for people who were willing or able to listen, like Rhodey, Vision or Bucky.

Bruce flushed. “I… I never apologized for that,” he said miserably. “I’m sorry. I was really tired that day, but that’s no excuse. I should’ve stayed awake or – or told you that I was too tired to stay awake.”

“Apology accepted,” Tony replied, though he thought to himself that it would be a while before he tried talking to Bruce like that again. 

“And I’m going to try not to Hulk out this time. My therapist – ” Here Bruce sucked in a breath, looking a little strained. “She said that I’m very angry over what happened while I was gone, but that I don’t know the full story. She pointed out that it’s hard for me to figure out the appropriate response, or deal with that anger, if I don’t have the details. She’s right.”

“Therapists are annoying like that, aren’t they?” Tony said. And Dr. Hearn was a damn good one.

“Yes, they are,” Bruce said. “So… the witch?”

“Let’s start with Ultron. You know there was an inquest?” Tony said.

“Yes, I saw it on the news.”

“Right. Well, it was a whole big, long thing, but in the end I was absolved of any blame. They pointed out how dumb I was for bringing the staff back to the tower – even though I’m still not sure what the alternative was – but otherwise let me go. Maximoff’s part in that was never brought to light. Steve did everything he could to shield her,” Tony explained, feeling a renewed flash of hurt that he quickly stifled.

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m glad they understood that,” Bruce said. “Though I wouldn’t have blamed you for throwing her under the bus. She deserved it.”

“I considered it,” Tony admitted. “But… I didn’t like the thought of telling them what she’d done and what I saw.”

Bruce nodded. “That’s understandable. So what happened?”

Here, Tony hesitated. He didn’t really want to tell Bruce about the months of silence, broken only by pointed jabs or cruel comments. The angry glares and cold looks, combined with increasingly judgmental attitudes. The quietly uttered threats. The growing feeling that he wasn’t welcome – or that he was unsafe amongst his teammates, which had ultimately caused him to move out of the Compound and back to the tower. And even then, the way they all made it perfectly clear that they believed the worst of him, that didn’t trust him on the field or with their gear, that he was a cold-blooded murderer…

No matter what he claimed, it weighed heavily on his shoulders. Even more so when he considered that, while Rhodey had maintained his silence for the most part (probably out of some lingering sense of loyalty that Maximoff hadn’t quite managed to snuff out), he’d probably been thinking the same things. His own best friend had been made to think that Tony was the very worst of what the press had always said to him.

His breathing quickened slightly. Tony picked up the mug of coffee, hoping that Bruce wouldn’t notice the way his fingers were trembling. “To cut a long story short, it turned out that Maximoff’s been brainwashing all of them since day one. All of the new Avengers, except Vision. I think Vision is impervious to her powers. He was just confused.” 

And, now that Tony had thought of it, maybe that was an avenue to follow up on later. There had to be a reason why Vision wasn’t affected by Maximoff’s brainwashing. If Tony could isolate that reason and maybe figure out a way to replicate it –

“And no one noticed?” Bruce said, drawing Tony’s attention back to him.

Tony considered that, filing aside thoughts about Vision for later, and said, “Anyone who was at the Compound was susceptible to her. I wasn’t, but I didn’t spend a lot of time there. Especially towards the end. I noticed that their collective attitude was getting worse, of course, but I thought –” He stopped himself. No need to say that he’d thought that the team had finally noticed the truth about him.

Bruce looked at him like he already knew what Tony wasn’t saying, mouth twisted in a frown. “How long did this go on for?”

“A while,” Tony said. “At least a year. I’d need to check my dates to know for sure. Maximoff claims she doesn’t know what she was doing, and that her powers got away from her.”

“You think otherwise.”

“Well, it all seemed a bit too coincidental for that to be true. You haven’t spent much time around her, but I have. Maximoff only claims to lack control when it suits her. It’s the excuse she falls back on constantly to weasel her way out of trouble. That, and her powers. Yet when it comes to being an Avenger, she apparently has good enough control to be out in the field. You can’t have it both ways,” said Tony. It was something he’d been thinking about for some time, but he wasn’t sure Steve or anyone else had seen the hypocrisy of it quite yet.

“That makes far too much sense,” Bruce said, frown deepening. “Where is she now? I know she’s off the team.”

“Ever heard of Professor Charles Xavier?”

Bruce tipped his head. “The mutant?”

“Yes. He runs a school for young mutants who need help controlling her power. He agreed to take her in. Basically, if Wanda really does need help learning to control her powers, the Institute is the best place for her to be. But if she doesn’t need help, then Xavier can at least keep an eye on her. He’s a telepath.”

For a moment, Tony was afraid Bruce might point out the ethical concerns around having a telepath monitoring Wanda. But he didn’t. All Bruce said was, “And why didn’t you call the police?”

“I want to give her enough rope to hang herself. Right now, someone could point the finger at me and claim I’m holding a grudge and say that I’ve had it in for her since day one. They could say that she’s innocent and didn’t know what she was doing, and make me look like the bad guy. But if I’ve got Xavier behind me saying that Wanda has excellent control and knew what she was doing –”

“You have more proof that’s not the case,” Bruce concluded, nodding. “That makes sense. But… you know no one would blame you for holding a grudge. She got into your head, and then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, fucked up a lot of your relationships. You have every right to be furious at her and to want to keep her as far away from you as possible. Hell, you have every right to do your best to put her in jail where she belongs.”

Tony managed a small smile. “That’s probably where she’ll end up, in all honesty.”

“Good,” Bruce said, his eyes gleaming green. “That’s exactly where she deserves to be. Preferably in the dankest, darkest jail on Earth, with her powers bound so she can’t hurt anyone else.”

It was satisfying to know someone else shared his hatred of Maximoff. Rhodey wasn’t all the way there yet, though he’d definitely get there in time. Bucky hated her, but he’d never been personally affected by her like Bruce and Tony had. Bruce understood. He’d experienced a similar, sickening vision. And in Bruce’s case, lives had been lost because of her – but, like always, she wasn’t the one getting the blame for it.

“Agreed,” Tony said simply. “Now, tell me where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to.” He smiled encouragingly, hoping to turn the conversation to an easier topic and ease the hint of green across Bruce’s skin. Thankfully, Bruce picked up the hint and began talking about a remote village in Africa.


	4. Chapter 4

Manchester, Tony knew, was lovely this time of year: not that spring was here, the trees would be getting their leaves and flowers starting to bloom. It was a shame that he didn’t feel safe enough to venture there. Instead, he’d extended an invitation to Xavier and Strange to visit the tower. Xavier felt that this meeting, which was to discuss Maximoff’s progression (or lack thereof), was best held in person.

It had been about five weeks since the – well, Tony didn’t want to call it a showdown even in the privacy of his own mind, but that’s the word that he kept coming back to. Regardless, it had been five weeks and that was more than enough time for Maximoff to have gotten settled. Since he’d asked Xavier to contact him only if there was a problem, Tony couldn’t help wondering what kind of stunt Maximoff had pulled this time. He even wondered, for a few minutes, if Maximoff had overpowered Xavier and Strange and was using them to weasel her way in here.

Logically, he was aware that kind of thinking could be labeled as ‘paranoid’. But after everything Maximoff had proven to be capable of, it was hard not to be. He comforted himself with the knowledge that Charles Xavier was the world’s foremost expert on telepathy, and that there was no way Maximoff would be able to overcome him. Still, it was with some trepidation that he went to the roof to greet the Blackbird.

The ramp lowered itself slowly, revealing Xavier alone. “Good morning,” he said with a pleasant smile, and then, “Don’t worry. Wanda is still back at the Institute. I’ve left Jean Grey and Logan there looking after her for the day. She is not with me.”

“Did you read my mind, or am I that obvious?” Tony asked, not sure which he would find worse.

“I make it a practice to try not to read people’s minds without permission, Tony,” Xavier told him. “And if I do catch stray thoughts, I don’t comment on them. You weren’t looking at me; you were looking past me, as though expecting someone else to come out. You didn’t look happy about it, and I could only think of one person from my school who would fit that criteria.”

“Fair,” Tony said with a nod. “Sorry, Charles.”

Xavier waved a hand and shook his head. “After being around Wanda for several weeks, I understand your caution and unease. She is… particularly obsessed with you.”

Even though it was something he’d already known, Tony still cringed. He was saved from having to come up with an answer by a spray of gold sparks that appeared out of nowhere. They both watched as the sparks pulled apart, forming a portal through which Dr. Strange stepped. He straightened up and dusted off his clothing, then nodded in greeting at the both of them. Tony smiled back and waved them both inside. He hadn’t told anyone else that the two of them were coming, so it was just the three of them.

“So tell me,” Tony said as they all sat, “should I be expecting an attack any day now?” He meant it as a joke, but Strange and Xavier exchanged a look that suggested he might have hit the mark.

“As I said, Wanda is still obsessed with you,” Xavier said slowly. “From what I can tell, she has not acknowledged that she played a part in what happened. She seems to believe that it was your fault.”

“In other words, she hasn’t changed at all,” said Tony. 

“Are you reading her mind?” Strange asked.

“I don’t have to. She’s not shy with sharing her feelings with anyone who will listen,” came the dry response. “But yes, I have. Because of the concern about Tony’s safety, I’ve devoted some time each day to reading her surface thoughts. Even after five weeks, she hasn’t made any friends. She’s expressed in interest in nothing aside from the Avengers. Many of my students have stopped trying to speak with her.”

“That’s probably safer for them,” Tony muttered, standing. He needed a drink. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, then sipped it with fingers that trembled slightly.

“I don’t disagree, but I am concerned. I’d hoped that by removing her from the other Avengers, she might develop an interest in something else. Right now, she’s thinking seriously about reaching out to the media to tell her side of the story.”

Tony turned around to stare, speechless. It was Strange who said what they were all thinking: “Why on earth does she think that will be a good idea?! People will not respond well to knowing that she brainwashed several superheroes into hating Tony Stark, and that by doing so she broke up the Avengers. Not to mention, wouldn’t that mean her background and Hydra ties could come into play?”

“It could,” Tony said, feeling a headache developing. “Right now, Maximoff is pretty far under everyone’s radar. Ultron kinda stole the show. But if she brings attention to herself…” He trailed off, shaking his head. Hydra stuff was normally kept on the downlow, so it didn’t surprise him that the public hadn’t figured out where the Scarlet Witch had come from. What Maximoff didn’t seem to realize was that all it would take was one enterprising journalist who was determined to get a good story and all that history would be on the front page news.

Or maybe, Tony surmised, she just didn’t care. If she’d twisted everything around in her brain to be Tony’s fault, then it was possible she was so deluded that she believed people would side with her. He could see it now. She wanted to write an exposé on how truly horrible Tony Stark really was. Some people would probably believe it, but he thought that the majority wouldn’t.

“Maybe we should let her,” Strange said.

“Let her?” Tony repeated.

Strange shrugged. “She can’t hurt anyone. My bind is still in place and working perfectly and she can’t use her powers until I remove it. She’s an adult and it’s a decision she’s making. She won’t be able to blame it on you when it all goes sideways, and I guarantee there will be people shouting for blood by the time it’s all said and done. It’s the perfect solution.”

Tony looked at Xavier, but Xavier’s expression was blank and gave nothing away. It wasn’t a terrible idea. His biggest concern about Maximoff was that she would find a way to point the finger at him, or that people would assume Tony was doing something to get some kind of misguided revenge. But Strange was right. So far as the public would know, Tony was completely removed from Maximoff right now. 

“What do you think, Charles?” Tony asked finally. “Could she ever… I don’t know, be a superhero?”

“My honest opinion?” Xavier said. “No. I’m not a trained psychologist. But I don’t think she’ll ever be capable of caring that much. Right now, everything Wanda does is for personal gain. She was an Avenger because it meant she got away from Hydra without facing repercussions, and it allowed her the chance to be close enough to hurt you. She didn’t do it because she wanted to protect people.”

Tony licked his suddenly dry lips and said quietly, “She was fighting with Ultron right up to the point where she realized that he meant to kill _all_ of humanity, herself and her brother included. Only then did she defect and switch sides.”

Xavier nodded. “I’m not surprised. Wanda is, ultimately, very selfish. I suspect that a team of trained psychologists may be able to give you some kind of diagnosis, but I’m not comfortable speculating. And ultimately, I don’t think it matters. You’re an Avenger. Would you ever be able to trust her out on the field?”

“No,” Tony admitted. “But I’m not the only Avenger. It’s not just my call.”

“It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t want her on the team either,” said Strange. “I’m sure that Dr. Banner, Vision, Mr. Barnes and Agent Coulson all feel similarly, and so would any new Avengers once they heard her history.”

“I agree. I’m willing to keep her at the Institute for the time being, but I will say that it’s only a matter of time before Wanda wants to leave. She’s an adult, so I don’t have the right to keep her there. Based on what I’ve gleaned from her mind, she intends to cause more trouble. Letting her hang herself before that happens, so to speak, may be the safest course of action for everyone,” said Xavier.

“You think she’ll go to jail?” Tony said.

“She might, depending on what people dig up. There must be old Hydra files with damning evidence,” Strange said. They both looked at Tony, who shrugged.

“I mean yeah, I’m sure there is. Let’s put it this way. She may not have full control of her powers, but what control she does have didn’t come naturally. She had to learn how to use them somehow,” Tony said quietly. It had kept him awake on at least a handful of nights, thinking about and pitying the poor “volunteers” that Maximoff had worked her magic on. He was certain that most of them had to be dead.

There was a pause during which Xavier and Strange considered this, and then Strange nodded decisively. “I’m going to speak to Coulson about this. Perhaps he can make sure there was some files around for a journalist or two to find after Wanda does her interview or press conference or whatever she does. In the meantime…”

He stood up and approached Tony, who looked at him in confusion. Strange merely smiled and reached into a pocket, drawing out a pendant that was strung on a thick, gold linked chain. The pendant itself was fairly simple: it was a gold circle with a red stone set into it. The stone was about the size of a quarter, with the pendant small enough to fit comfortably in Tony’s palm. If he were to wrap his fingers around it, no one would even know that he was holding it.

“I came across two of these in the Sanctum while I was doing some inventory. Anyone who is wearing it is impervious to any intrusions into the mind,” Strange said, setting it gently on the bar top. “I’m wearing the other beneath my shirt. This one is for you.”

Tony stared at it, mind reeling. “You mean – she can’t –”

“Even if she somehow got her powers back, no one can control you or influence you, nor can they put images into your head or affect your dreams, as long as you’re wearing it,” Strange told him. “Furthermore, it can only be removed by you once you put it on. I’m doing research to see if I can replicate the effects, or if more can be found. Obviously all of us should have one, and I’d particularly like to get one for Coulson. But for the time being I thought it was most important that you and I both have one, since Charles can defend himself.”

“That’s… that’s amazing,” Tony said. Part of him wanted to cry. If what Strange was saying was true, and Tony had no reason to believe that it wasn’t, then Maximoff would never be able to control him again. He picked up the pendant, which was surprisingly light, and slipped it over his head. The necklace slid down around his collarbone, the pendant disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt.

“Okay, give it a shot,” Strange said, turning to Xavier.

“Tony, think of something that’s very different from what you’ve been thinking about today,” Xavier said, looking at him intently.

Tony met his gaze and thought very forcefully about Jean Grey was a beautiful woman, and how much he’d liked the look of her legs in the blue sundress she’d worn last time they met. It was the kind of thought he would’ve suppressed as much as possible in Xavier’s presence, because Jean was like a daughter to him and that was probably the last thing Xavier wanted to hear.

Xavier lifted two fingers to his temple, concentrating hard. After several tense seconds, he blinked and smiled. “I can’t read your thoughts at all. I wouldn’t even know you were in the room were you not standing in front of me. I can’t influence you, either. It’s the first time this has happened to me where the other person wasn’t a telepath themselves or wearing a helmet.” His voice quieted on that last part.

“Thank you,” Tony said, meaning it whole-heartedly. With one pendant, Strange had wiped a potentially huge problem out of his life. His gratitude couldn’t be expressed in words. He placed a hand over it, hoping that Strange could somehow know.

Strange just nodded. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s discuss what happens next.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you find it’s helping you sleep better?”

Tony sat down, tucking the pendant back underneath his shirt, and answered without hesitation. “Absolutely. Logically, I know that her powers are bound and she can’t fuck with me anymore. But sometimes it’s hard to convince myself of that after I wake up from a nightmare. Now that I know for sure she can’t touch me, I know it’s just my own brain fucking with me. It’s… easier, somehow.”

Hearn nodded. “That’s understandable. It sounds as though the actions of Ms. Maximoff have put your fears into perspective. As frightening as a nightmare can be, you now know how much worse it could be.”

“That’s it exactly,” Tony said, relaxing a little. 

“Do you ever worry that something like Ultron will happen again?” Hearn asked, leaning back in her chair. 

“I did. A lot. I was in a bad place, and Maximoff’s little stunt didn’t help.” Tony went quiet for a few seconds, remembering the sheer terror pounding through him after she’d put that vision into his head. “I… I’m trying to check myself now. Run my work past other people. Make sure that what I’m doing isn’t just a reaction. I didn’t want to be her weapon again.”

“That won’t happen again,” Hearn said soothingly, and the best part about it was that she was _right_.

“I know it won’t. Not as long as I have this.” Tony touched the pendant hanging around his neck. Strange would forever be in his gratitude for giving it to him. He’d begun doing research of his own, trying to figure out if science could help them find a way to replicate them. He really wanted to give one to Bucky. 

“But you know, Tony, that pendant doesn’t erase what she did,” Hearn said. “It doesn’t erase the trauma.”

He frowned at that. “I know. I do,” he added when she looked skeptical. “I just… I feel safe again for the first time in two years. That’s a good feeling.”

Or at least, he did until a head literally popped up in the middle of the floor between them. Hearn screamed, leaping to her feet and knocking her chair over. Tony reacted only slightly better, swearing under his breath and gripping the armrests of the chair tightly enough that his fingers ached, stopped from grabbing his watch only because he recognized the bright red head. 

“Vision! What have I told you about doors?” he scolded.

“My apologies,” Vision said, inclining his head. “But you said you wanted to be told immediately when Ms. Potts arrived, and she’s here.”

Tony tried not to sigh. Of course. FRIDAY had no access to this room. It was one of the stipulations that the others had asked for, especially Bruce and Bucky. He could understand that they didn’t want to be monitored when talking about sensitive topics and had put this room into permanent black-out mode because of it. He was the only one with the override code. But that didn’t mean FRIDAY couldn’t have called or texted him; he would’ve felt the vibration against his thigh.

“Right,” he said, deciding not to go into it right now. “Can you give us a sec? Tell Pep, and everyone else, to meet me in my boardroom, please and thanks.”

“Of course. I’m sorry for frightening you, Dr. Hearn.”

“Of – of course, Vision,” Hearn said, forcing a smile.

Tony waited until he was gone, then said, “He really is sorry.” He looked at Hearn worriedly, half-expecting her to run screaming out the door. 

“I’m sure he is. I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I just didn’t expect to see a head come out of the floor,” Hearn said, smoothing her hair down.

“You think that’s bad? You should try having him pop in when you’re in the shower,” Tony said dryly. “Apparently Coulson is going to bring in someone who can help him adjust to humans and their ways.”

“That is a fantastic idea,” Hearn said fervently. “I guess that ends our session today.” She knelt and collected her notebook, which she’d dropped when she jumped up. Tony stood and held her to right her chair, then left. He was pretty sure he heard her letting out a shaky sigh as he shut the door and grimaced. Life in the tower was probably a lot more exciting than life at SHIELD had ever been no matter what Clint and Natasha said.

He walked briskly upstairs and entered his room to find Pepper, Bruce, Bucky, Rhodey, Vision and Coulson waiting for him. Tony had decided that letting them be surprised by Wanda’s interview would not be wise. Coulson already knew after speaking to Strange, But Pepper needed to know at the very least so that she could figure out how best to do damage control. He took a seat and smiled at his friends.

“Charles and Strange came to visit me yesterday,” he began. “Charles has confirmed that Maximoff still hates my guts. He thinks she’s pretty much irredeemable and that she’ll always be a danger to me as long as she’s free, and that she should _not_ be an Avenger.”

“Well, that’s not really news,” Rhodey said. In spite of the flippant remark, his jaw was clenched tight.

“No, it’s not,” Tony agreed. “But Charles also said that Maximoff was chomping at the bit to meet with someone from the media. Apparently, she’s pissed off by the idea that people are thinking she defected from the Avengers.” He had to smile at that. “And she wants to tell her own side of the story because she thinks the public will be more willing to side with her.”

A slew of disbelieving and incredulous faces met that statement. Only Coulson looked unaffected, and that was because he’d had a heads-up. He nodded at Tony and said, “I’ve spoken to Dr. Strange. He agreed with Professor Xavier that this was not going to go well and suggested that it wouldn’t be a terrible idea if some incriminating Hydra files found their way into the hands of a journalist or two.”

“They want her to hang herself,” Bruce said.

Tony nodded. “Exactly. And I think it’s the best plan, myself. All we have to do is sit back and let it happen. Her crimes will speak for themselves if the right people find out about them.”

All around the room, that was met with thoughtful nods. Then Pepper said, “Coulson, you and I will need to have a chat about the potential impacts on S.I. She’s bound to badmouth Tony and, by extension, the company.”

“She will, and that may hurt you a little at first, but I don’t think anyone will take her seriously when they see the files we have,” said Coulson.

“What do you have?” Rhodey asked him.

“I can’t share all the details, but SHIELD has been raiding Hydra bases for some time now. We do have a fair amount of damning evidence.”

Tony eyed him. “Exactly what kind of files is SHIELD keeping on hand?”

“I’m afraid that’s something else I can’t discuss,” Coulson said smoothly.

That was something Tony didn’t like. He made a mental note to do some investigating. SHIELD didn’t need to have anything about the Winter Soldier in their possession. But that wasn’t really a discussion to be had here; they had more pressing matters to worry about, since Xavier had confirmed that, once given the green light, it wouldn’t be long before Maximoff was in front of a news camera.

“Fine. Just make sure it’s something good,” Tony said. 

Coulson’s smile was surprisingly cruel. “It will be. Technically, Wanda Maximoff should never have become an Avenger. At least, not without undergoing a review of her past crimes. She volunteered with Hydra, a known criminal organization. She may claim that she didn’t know it was Hydra, but there’s clear evidence that she was involved in torture and murder while she was there. Those things are always against the law.”

Even with SHIELD? Tony wanted to ask, but didn’t. SHIELD operated inside of a grey area for a reason. It wasn’t right, but right now SHIELD was on their side. He was willing to take what help they could get while they could get it. If, in the future, the Avengers needed to split away from SHIELD, well they would cross that bridge when they came to it. In the meantime, they couldn’t afford to have anyone believing Maximoff’s side of the story for even a minute and SHIELD was key to that. 

“Not to mention, she sided with Ultron,” Bruce spoke up. “And she didn’t defect because she thought he was wrong for wanting to kill us.”

“No, she left because she wanted to save her own hide,” Rhodey growled. Actually _growled_. Tony shot his best friend a worried look. 

“There is that too,” Coulson said. “Her past will be torn apart, I’m sure. The Avengers will face some controversy for allowing her on the team.” He hesitated briefly. “It’s likely the brainwashing will come out. I’m certain that, if challenged, she’ll spin it as her not knowing what she was doing. The potential fall-out from that could be the public worrying over what happens if we become compromised again.”

“Strange is working on that,” Tony said, fingering his pendant. “I think it’s fair to say that we weren’t prepared for this kind of challenge, but that in an ever-changing landscape the Avengers are continuously adapting.”

Pepper looked at him approvingly. “That’s an excellent way of putting it.”

“So then where do the rest of us come in?” Vision inquired. “What will be required of us?”

“We keep our distance. We knew nothing. The last thing we knew, Maximoff was taken to the Xavier Institute to learn to control her powers,” said Tony. “We keep our hands off.” He looked around at each of them, particularly Bruce and Bucky. For this work, they couldn’t be seen or identified as interfering. If Maximoff could pin this on them, they were screwed. As it was, her little girl pout would probably sway some hearts.

“Can I talk to you?” Bucky said quietly, leaning over to him.

“Sure.” Tony got up immediately. It was unusual for Bucky to actually ask for something, so Tony tried to give him what he could when Bucky did ask. 

They stepped out into the hallway and Bucky closed the door. He turned to Tony and said, sounding uncomfortable, “I think that Steve should know before this happens. It’s going to impact him too.”

“I… didn’t think about that,” Tony admitted, at once surprised and ashamed of himself. Coulson had literally just said that it was likely the brainwashing would come out. Captain America had been the leader of the Avengers. There was going to be some flack headed Steve’s way, even if it was proven that there was nothing the Avengers could’ve done. That was just the way that people were. No one knew that better than Tony Stark.

Maybe that was what Steve deserved. It was a horrible thought, but Tony couldn’t help thinking it. Maybe it was time Steve Rogers understood a little bit of what it was like to be Tony. Maybe he’d done too good of a job shielding all of the Avengers from consequences, including media attention. Maybe if he hadn’t, Steve would have thought enough of him to actually tell him the goddamn truth.

Or maybe not. 

Tony refocused on Bucky. “You want me to fly you out there?” he said. “I can do that. But I can’t go with you.”

“No. I’m not ready to see Stevie yet. I just thought I’d call him,” Bucky said, watching Tony closely. “Are you okay with that?”

“Bucky, I can’t tell you not to talk to Steve,” Tony said, uncrossing his arms. “You’re Steve’s friend and I get that.”

“He was a jackass to you.”

“That’s putting it midlly, but the lack of relationship between me and Steve has no bearing on your relationship with him. If our positions were reversed, I’d be giving Rhodey a heads up no matter what you said.” Tony sighed and ran both hands through his hair. The action undoubtedly left his hair standing straight up, but at least it got Bucky to smile just a bit. 

Bucky nodded. “Okay. I just wanted to check and make sure you were fine with it. Do you want me to give him a message?”

“No. Please, don’t give him any information about me,” Tony said. Every time he thought about talking to Steve, it made him mad all over again. “Just… tell him that Maximoff’s interview will probably be lived before the week is through. He’s not an Avenger right now, so Coulson may or may not be able to help him out. He’ll have to contact Coulson to talk about that. And as much as it should be obvious, he should know that I won’t be helping him. He’s on his own this time around.”

“That’s fair,” Bucky said. “I’ll tell him. Thank you.” He patted Tony’s arm and then headed up the hall, pulling his phone out as he went.


	6. Chapter 6

Bucky’s room at the tower had become his haven. With an unlimited budget courtesy of Tony and some guidance from FRIDAY, Bucky had been slowly making it his own. He now had three bookshelves lining the far wall, with two of them completely full already. He liked to be warm, so there were blankets piled everywhere, and comfortable, so that meant plenty of pillows. FRIDAY had ordered him an electric fireplace, which ran constantly: the sight of the flickering flames was comforting when he woke from a nightmare.

There was no stainless steel in the place. He’d methodically removed every inch of it, including the faucets. New blue ones had been installed the next day, which was fine. He just… didn’t want to see anything shiny and silver. It brought back too many bad memories of when he’d been strapped to a table or a chair with medical instruments coming at his face. 

He walked quickly over to the chairs in front of the window, climbing into what FRIDAY affectionately called his nest, and tugged a throw over his lap. It was dusk, which meant most people were either making their way home from work or heading to their evening plans. Bucky spent a few minutes watching them. There was something soothing about seeing people continuing their everyday lives. 

Unfortunately, this unpleasant task still needed to be done. Steve deserved to know before Maximoff went live with her lies, if only because Bucky was certain that Steve wasn’t going to come out looking good. It would be worse still because Tony wasn’t willing to help – not that Bucky could blame him. Bucky wasn’t even sure that _he_ wanted to help Steve at this point. Sometimes it seemed like the little punk from Brooklyn was a far cry from the Captain America who was around now.

He dialed Steve’s number, knowing it by heart. This would be the first time they’d talked since Steve had told Tony the truth. As the line clicked through and Steve’s voice filled the air, Bucky wasn’t prepared for the rush of wistful anger that ran through him. He caught his breath and went quiet for a long moment, trying to reign in his emotions. Yelling wouldn’t help, not now.

“Buck?” Steve said again. His uncertainty faded, melting into fear. “Are you – you hurt? Buck? Where are you?”

Bucky shook his head. “I’m fine. Jus’ hearin’ your voice surprised me,” he said.

“You scared me,” Steve said, sounding considerably happier now in spite of the admonishment.

“Sorry, punk. I just – I called ‘cause I gotta tell you somethin’, and I didn’t want you to be left in the dark when the news hits. I’m told that it’s gonna shake things up.”

It was Steve’s turn to be quiet for a long time, then, sounding resigned, “Is Tony telling people about Howard and Maria?”

“What? No!” Bucky said, surprised. Tony would never do that. Not if it meant hurting Bucky. That knowledge was engraved deeply into Bucky, carved there with every tender touch to his shoulder, every eyeroll-worthy joke or quip, every hesitant smile, every worried look. No matter what Bucky had done, Tony was willing to let the tales of the Winter Solider fade away into the mists of obscurity. 

That was a conversation they’d already had. Bucky had been certain that Tony and Coulson would want him to face charges. But Coulson had veoted the idea immediately. There were no firm records on what the Winter Soldier had done; Hydra’s record-keeping had been spotty at best, and the Winter Soldier had never been their only source of amusement. Coulson believed that the Winter Soldier would end up as a scape goat. Tony agreed. Their opinion was that if Bucky wanted to work to make up for what he’d done, he should become an Avenger.

Bucky hadn’t yet decided if that was something he wanted, but he thought he might. Hearn had suggested that it might help with the sense of clawing guilt that hung over him like a shadow, but she wanted to make sure he was ready to go out into the field. Tony may have removed the trigger words, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t at risk for a PTSD flashback if the wrong situation happened.

Evidently he’d been quiet for too long. Steve cleared his throat pointedly and then, when Bucky still didn’t speak, said, “Then what’s going on?”

“It’s Maximoff. She’s going to the press.”

There was another long pause before Steve breathed out an incredulous, “ _What_?!”

“My sentiments exactly,” Bucky muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Why?” Steve demanded. “Why is Tony letting her do this?!”

Irritated, Bucky’s voice came out sharp. “Tony is not responsible for controlling Maximoff. She’s not his responsibility. He’s already done way more for her than she deserved by sending her to Xavier’s and giving her a third chance. Maximoff is the one who chose not to take it.”

“I… yes, of course,” Steve mumbled. “But… why?”

“Because she wants to, for one thing, and since she’s an adult, I don’t think Xavier feels he can stop her. And for another, Coulson thinks it’s a good thing. This will draw attention to Maximoff’s Hydra background without making any of us the bad guy for having let the information out.” And by us, he meant Tony. “She’ll probably end up having to face some consequences for what she did. SHIELD’s got the most relevant stuff locked up, but Coulson is going to put some of it under a lighter lock and key so journalists can hack it.” 

“And once they find that, they’ll go digging through what Natasha and I dumped,” Steve murmured. “But what about you? Won’t the draw attention to you?”

Bucky shook his head even though Steve couldn’t see him. “No. No one knows who I am. Tony’s combed the data dozens of times and he says that any references to me have been long since lost. And frankly, even if someone did find out, I think it’d be worth it to see that witch go down in flames.”

It made him preen in satisfaction just thinking about it. Wanda Maximoff should never have been trusted. No one who willingly associated with Hydra should. There were no second chances because Bucky knew for a fact that people like that didn’t change. He hoped – prayed – that Steve would’ve had the good sense to realize that even if Maximoff hadn’t screwed around with his brain.

“Okay,” Steve said slowly. “Then why the call?”

“Cause there’s a chance she’s gonna try to make you look bad to make herself look good,” Bucky said bluntly. “You have to be ready for whatever she might say.”

Steve sighed. “I guess I can’t say I’m surprised. Maybe Tony –”

“No. Tony isn’t going to help you.” The words came out frostier than Bucky intended. Even if Tony hadn’t said no preemptively, Bucky never would’ve passed this message on. He meant what he said. Maximoff was not Tony’s problem to fix.

“Right. Okay,” Steve said. There was another pause, like maybe he was waiting something. Bucky wasn’t sure what that could be. If he was waiting for Bucky to offer to talk Tony around, he was going to have a long wait. Bucky was firmly of the opinion that Tony had done more than enough for the Avengers.

Finally, Bucky said, “You can try talking to Coulson. He’s pretty wrapped up right now, but he might be able to offer some guidance.”

“I guess I’ll have to do that. Any ideas on when this is going to happen?”

“Nothing concrete, but I’d say sooner rather than later is a safe bet,” Bucky replied.

“Okay. Listen, Buck, about Tony –”

“Nope,” Bucky said. “I can’t talk about him.”

“But I just want to talk to him!”

“I’m sorry, Stevie, but that’s your problem. Not mine.” Maybe it was a little mean to pull out the old nickname now, but Bucky didn’t care. “I’m not passing any messages on and I’m not telling you anything.”

Steve huffed in frustration. “I can’t believe Tony is being so stubborn.”

“Stop it, Steve. I am not the person for you to vent to right now,” Bucky warned. He still loved his friend. But he wouldn’t hesitate to tear a strip off him if Steve started going on about Tony right now. Tony had every right to be furious that this had been kept from him.

“Buck –”

“No,” Bucky said, softly but firmly. “If that’s all you want to talk about, I’m ending this call now. Goodbye.”

\--

The screen was black for about three seconds before it burst into light. Wanda Maximoff’s face filled the screen. She sat on a couch in the studio, her hands demurely folded in her lap. She was wearing a light blue, modestly-cut dress and dark blue boots with a two-inch heel. Her hair had been loosely curled and pulled back from her face, but was otherwise down. She stared gravely into the camera, not smiling.

“Good morning,” the host chirped. “We’re here with Wanda Maximoff, codename the Scarlet Witch, in the studio today. Wanda – may I call you Wanda? – is here give us more details about why she was fired from the Avengers. As you know, it was not that long ago that Captain America made a shocking announcement.”

Wanda’s face had darkened when the host mentioned that she’d been fired, but she held her tongue and turned her head to watch as footage was shown of Captain America’s impromptu interview. It was only a thirty second clip, and when it was finished the host turned back to eye Wanda with a greedy gleam in her eyes. Perhaps sensing blood in the water, she leaned forward.

“Now Wanda, I understand that you weren’t pleased with the Captain’s decision to remove you from the team, and that you want to do away with the rumors that you voluntarily left. Can you give us some details?”

“I didn’t agree with it. I think it’s a very poor decision on Steve’s part,” Wanda said. “He overreacted. All of the Avengers overreacted. They’re blaming me for things that are beyond my control. They seemed to think that the best decision was to ship me off to Xavier’s. They didn’t even ask!” Her face flushed with anger.

The host blinked, sitting back slightly. “Well, you are an adult,” she observed. “You didn’t have to stay at the school. And for all those who aren’t aware,” she looked at the camera, “Xavier’s Institute is a world renowned boarding school for mutants who are struggling to learn how to use and control their powers. All of its graduates have gone on to be very successful. There are a lot of people who would jump at the chance to stay there.”

“It was a prison!” Wanda hissed. “They wouldn’t let me do anything.”

“But why send you there?” the host asked. “It seems like an unusual choice.”

“I couldn’t… my powers aren’t entirely under control yet. I do my best, but it’s hard,” Wanda said, ducking her head. She looked up through her lashes. “I’ve been working on perfecting my control. I thought I was just starting to get a handle on it when…” She trailed off.

“So they were trying to help you learn to control them fully?” the host prompted.

Wanda shook her head. “That’s what they said, but they bound my powers.”

“Bound?”

“I can’t use them at all. I’m defenseless!” Wanda sniffed and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “If anyone attacked me, I wouldn’t be able to fight them all.”

The host looked at her with sympathy, but said, “Do you think that’s why they suggested Xavier’s? So that you would be safe while you learned control?”

“No. They just wanted me to suffer,” Wanda said dramatically. “Think of it as someone binding your arms and leaving them that way for days. That’s how it feels to me. Like a part of me is missing or cut off. It’s the worst feeling in the world and I’d give anything for it to stop.”

It was obvious the host wasn’t expecting this much emotion. Superheroes didn’t frequently go on live television to cry. She cast a quick glance at the camera and said, “Can you go into more detail about what happened? How did you lose control? Why was Captain America’s first instinct to remove you from the team? You said you were working on learning control, so something big must’ve happened.”

“Honestly, it’s all Tony Stark’s fault.”

The host blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“Stark poisoned the team against me. He’s never liked me. One of his bombs killed my parents, you see.” Wanda’s lower lip quivered and she gave a quiet sob. “And that creation of his, Ultron, was responsible for killing my brother. Stark doesn’t want to take responsibility, so he’s convinced everyone that it’s my fault.”

“That seems like quite a feat for a busy man like Tony Stark,” the host said with a small laugh. “The official ruling is that Ultron was an accident.”

“That’s just what he wants you to think,” said Wanda. “Stark’s been against me joining the team from day one. He’s never trusted me. I can’t help what I am.” She waved a hand. At any other time, red mist may have trailed from her fingers. Now, there was nothing. Wanda looked at her hand with a combination of disgust and sadness, as though it had betrayed her with its lack of reaction.

“And what you are…” the host prompted. “A mutant?”

“I wasn’t born with my powers. I was given them,” Wanda said. Again, she looked into the camera. Her eyes were blank but misty with the remains of tears. “I was given them to do great things, and I won’t let Tony Stark stop me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
